Perth musical comedian, Tim Minchin is releasing his debut album later on this year, but for now, we have the very first single from the forthcoming release. ‘Leaving LA’ is an ode to Minchin’s time in LA and his departure following a number of both successful and unsuccessful projects.
‘Leaving LA’ was written by Tim Minchin in his final year there.
“It is meant to reflect the bitterness I felt when the project I had been working on for 4 years got trashed. But it’s also meant to feel a bit sad, and a bit funny, and a bit fond. It’s bittersweet; like a break-up song written for somebody you’re still a little in love with.
“The perceived glamour of Hollywood is laughable once you’ve lived inside it. Don’t get me wrong, there are brilliant people there making wonderful art, but it’s pretty damn ugly to look at, shamelessly materialistic (obviously), and full of desperate – and desperately unhappy – people. It’s also full of tourists leering at obscene houses, and frantically searching for a good spot from which to take a photo of an old real estate sign.
“I try my best to steer clear of clichés, but the famous sign felt to me like an unexploited metaphor: it, like the town it teeters above, is iconic, unique, two-dimensional… and, if you’re expecting glamour, a bit disappointing.”
The “love/hate song to Hollywood” comes with a video too. Tee Ken Ng, who’s actually a childhood friend of Minchin’s created the clip. The clip sees a range of paper film frames set up on a turntable come to life through animation.
“We both felt that paper construction was a fitting medium to depict a place of superficiality and facades,” said Tee Ken Ng on the clip.
It’s really cool, check it out down below.
Minchin’s currently taking his ‘BACK’ shows around the country, a bunch of the shows sold out, but he’s added a few more. Head here for all the deets.
Catch ‘Leaving LA’ below.
